


One Day

by superhusbands4ever (Potterwatch97)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Cute, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Orphanage, SteveTony Secret Santa 2017, Steves metaphorical ovaries are bursting, Tony Stark Has A Heart, tony and babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 04:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13182165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potterwatch97/pseuds/superhusbands4ever
Summary: Tony disappears for bit while the Avengers are bringing presents to a local orphanage for Christmas. Steve really shouldn't have been surprised where he found him.





	One Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inukagome15](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inukagome15/gifts).



> This was my secret santa gift for inukagome15! I hope you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Steve smiled as he watched all the children running around Thor, presents and torn wrapping paper forgotten in the corner. Thor was lifting nearly three children on each arm as they jumped on his back and tried to take him down.

“No!” Thor cried, huge smile on his face. “You are too strong for me! You have bested me! I am… defeated!”

He collapsed with a groan on the floor and all the children ran and jumped on top of him, their faces bright and red from laughter and from playing with the demigod.

“Thank you again for coming today,” the woman, Ms. Kate, said quietly from beside Steve.

“It was no problem,” Steve said with a smile, “every kid deserves some presents on Christmas.”

He looked around the room and felt his heart warm. Natasha was in the corner with a little blonde girl, brushing and braiding her hair and a couple of twin girls stood behind her and braided Natasha’s. Thor was on the ground wrestling with half the kids in the place, Bruce was sitting in the corner in a rocking chair reading a _The Night Before Christmas_ to a small boy with his thumb in his mouth, his eyes fluttering closed. Clint was coloring with a couple of kids in the corner of the room, and Tony was…

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Steve turned toward her.

“Please,” she said with a smile, “call me Kate.”

“Kate,” Steve said patiently, “would you happen to know where To- Iron Man is?”

“Oh yeah,” Kate said, a large grin spreading across her face, “he just spoke to me about half an hour ago. He’s upstairs in the nursery. If you want to go join him.”

“Thank you. Can you-“ he gestured out to all the chaos around them.

Kate nodded. “I’ve got this handled. Go find Mr. Stark. The nursery is just up the stairs, third door to the right.”

“Thank you, Kate,” Steve said.

He gave one more cursory glance around the room to make sure everyone was alright and accounted for before turning and walking out the room.

He smiled when he walked passed the green and red Iron Man armor with the Santa hat and empty toy bag standing sentry in the hallway.

“Got it handled, JARVIS?”

“ _As always, Captain. Sir is just upstairs if you were looking for him._ ”

“I was just about to head up, thanks JARVIS.”

_“My pleasure, Captain.”_

As Steve climbed the stairs he couldn’t help but wonder why Tony was in the nursery again. All the Avengers had stopped up there to say hello when they arrived just after lunch. All the babies and very small children were being put down for a nap, so they had quickly been ushered back downstairs to meet the older kids and hand out the presents Tony had brought.

They had been down there for a couple hours now and in all the chaos Steve hadn’t even noticed Tony slip out.

Just as Kate had said, there was a door with a plaque on it declaring it to be the nursery down the hall to the right. The door was cracked open just a bit, a small bit of light was spilling from the room, and soft voices could be heard inside the room.

“Oh, goodness, that was a big yawn, yeah…”

Steve stepped forward and pushed the door open as quietly as he could. When his eyes fell on the figure in the room he felt his chest warm up and his breath catch in his chest. He honestly shouldn’t have been surprised that this is what Tony was doing.

Tony was walking around the room with a small pink bundle in his arms, moving and rocking as gently and as quietly as he could in the room full of sleeping babies. There were little arms waving around from the blanket accompanied by soft hiccuping whines. Tony grabbed one of the little hands and pressed a kiss to the fingers.

“Oh, I know, principessa,” he cooed at the little girl as she started to let out little cries, “I know, you’re so tired you just can’t sleep, huh? I know that feeling, sweetheart, I know…”

He tried to rock the baby and walk around the room, bouncing up and down a bit, but nothing seemed to be calming her down.

“Do you want to try a song? Let’s try a song, yeah?”

Steve looked at his boyfriend and couldn’t help but be reminded how much he loved this man. The light from the window and the little nightlight in the corner cast a sort of glow around him, and he looked so natural standing there with that baby in his arms, giving it all the love and attention he possibly could.

_“She’s got a smile it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories, where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky…”_

Steve huffed a laugh at Tony’s choice of lullaby but was unsurprised. He watched as Tony continued to rock as he alternated between singing and humming to the baby, a soft smile on Tony’s own face as she seemed to calm down and stare up at him in wonder.

“ _Now and then when I see her face, she takes me away to that special place,”_ he sang, and he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, “ _and if I stare too long, I’d probably break down and cry.”_

Steve stayed quiet as he walked into the room, but Tony heard the movement and looked up anyway. His eyes were wide before he realized who had walked in before he smiled at Steve and continued to sing.

“ _Oh, oh, oh, sweet child o’ mine…”_

Steve came up behind Tony and wrapped his arms around him gently, resting his head on Tony’s shoulder as he stared down at the little girl in his arms. She looked up at him with sleepy brown eyes and turned her face into Tony’s touch as he ran a gentle finger down her dark cheek and nose.

Steve rocked with him, smiling down at the baby when she would look at him and pressing soft kisses to Tony’s cheek when he would turn his head to try and look at him. It took nearly the entire song to get the baby to fall asleep, and when she did neither of them moved, just continued to look down at the little bundle in Tony’s arms.

“Sorry I slipped out without saying anything,” Tony whispered, “I went to the bathroom and I thought I heard a baby crying so I asked Kate if I could come check.”

“I’m not mad,” Steve said, wondering why Tony ever thought he would be mad at him for something like this.

“You’re really good with her.”

“Thanks,” Tony said, glancing at him, “I uh… this isn’t actually the first time I’ve come here.”

“Really?” Steve asked, surprise in his voice.

“Yeah,” Tony looked back down at the baby as though embarrassed to admit anything. “Awhile ago… when I couldn’t sleep I would come here or another orphanage and just… hold them. They could always use the help, you know? And it… it helped me too.”

“You’ve always been really good with kids, Tony. Kids love you.”

“I guess,” Tony said, sort of shrugging his shoulder. His neck was slowly turning pink.

“Maybe we could have this for ourselves one day,” Steve found himself blurting out before he could stop himself.

Instead of objecting or, frankly, freaking out like he had expected Tony to, Tony simply pulled away from Steve a little to look him in the eye, a completely serious look on his face.

“You really think so?”

“Yeah,” Steve said a little breathlessly, nodding his head a bit. His lifted a hand to cup Tony’s cheek. “You’d be an amazing father, Tony.”

“You would too,” Tony said, smiling up at Steve. He glanced down at the baby still sleeping comfortably in his arms before looking back at Steve.

“Do you want to hold her?”

“Oh, I don’t—I don’t know if I—”

“Oh, come on, it’s not that hard,” Tony said, using one hand to arrange Steve’s arms in the proper position.

“Just hold your arms like… yeah, like that. Here… make sure you support her head, just like that…”

It took some awkward fumbling through which Steve was terrified the baby would wake up and start crying again, but she continued to sleep peacefully as she was passed into his arms. His heart felt like it was going to burst when she turned her head and nuzzled into his chest a little bit.

“I think she likes that you’re so warm,” Tony said, smiling softly.

“She’s so small,” Steve breathed out, “she’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Tony whispered, looking up at him, “beautiful.”

They stayed that way for awhile longer until they realized it was nearly time to go. With only a little more fumbling on Steve’s part, they were able to get the baby back into her crib without waking her.

Once they had walked out and shut the door gently behind them, Tony turned and threw his arms around Steve’s shoulders, pulling him close and holding him tight.

“Do you really think we could have that one day?” Tony whispered in his ear.

“Of course,” Steve whispered, pulling back to look Tony in the eye. “If that’s something you want.”

Tony nodded, seemingly incapable of speaking. He rested his forehead against Steve’s.

“Okay,” Steve said, cupping Tony’s face and leaning forward to press a soft but loving kiss against his lips. “One day.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact: that thing about Tony visiting orphanages and holding babies when he can't sleep [iS CANON](http://superhusbands4ever.tumblr.com/post/165555720874/the-flightoficarus-tin-can-iron-man)
> 
> Fun Fact #2: that baby's name was Ella and Steve and Tony adopt her by the next Christmas


End file.
